“Tidings out of the east and out of the north”
IT appears from the prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah, as well as from the Psalms, that Jerusalem is destined in the future to be twice besieged. The first time the city will be taken by the nations that come up against her; these will be especially from the north and east, and will be in league with the king of the north; but the second time these nations will themselves be destroyed, and Jerusalem will be delivered by the Lord, who will interfere in person to this end.
If we turn to Isaiah 28, 29, we shall find a prophetic outline of what will yet take place in and around Jerusalem, which entirely coincides with what we have already seen in the closing verses of Daniel 11. In the first place woe is pronounced upon Ephraim; this appears to be the outlying portion of the land which the king of the north will enter on his last invasion of Palestine and Egypt. As a “flood of mighty waters overflowing” will he come down upon them, Jehovah using him as His rod of anger for the punishment of the rebellious and hypocritical nation, which at that time will be in a prosperous condition, so far as material affairs are concerned (Isa. 10:5, 6, 28:3, 4).
From verse 14 it is Jerusalem in particular that comes before us. In order to escape this “overflowing scourge,” the apostate rulers of the Jews make their covenant with powers so evil that they can be described in no other way than “death and hell.” This covenant is the one we have already had mentioned in Daniel 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27); it is the chief of the revived Roman Empire, of Western Europe, who makes it with “the many,” that is, the apostate portion of the Jews, who will recognize “the king,” or Antichrist, in Jerusalem. The covenant is made for a period of seven years, or the last week of the seventy mentioned in Daniel 9, but in the midst of the week a great crisis is reached in connection with the Jews; their restored sacrifices will be made to cease, and the fearful idolatry of Antichrist will be set up. It is on account of this that the Assyrian, or king of the north, is introduced as the executor of Jehovah’s anger against the idolatrous people. If Daniel 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27) be read with care, it will be seen that these three persons are distinctly alluded to. “He (i.e., the Roman emperor) shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and on account of the over-spreading of abominations (i.e., Antichrist’s idolatry) there shall be a desolator (i.e., the king of the north) even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (i.e., Jerusalem).”
If now we turn to Isaiah 29, we shall see that so far from this artifice of the scornful rulers of Jerusalem succeeding, the city will be besieged, and at first brought down to desolation (vers. 1-7). It is this that is referred to in Psalms 74, “Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary,” &c. Again in Psalms 79, “O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.” Evidently in these scriptures the city is taken by the besieging confederate nations.
But in the remainder of Isaiah 29, from verse 7 to the end, a very different state of things is described. There, Jehovah takes up the cause of His people, and all the nations that fight against Mount Zion melt away as a dream of a night vision. It seems clear from this that there are two distinct sieges of Jerusalem in the future, the first successful so far as the nations are concerned, but the second the very reverse: “So shall the Lord of Hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion... defending also He will deliver it.... Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man”— for it will be through the direct intervention of Jehovah― “... and he shall pass over to his stronghold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem” (Isa. 31:4-94For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. 5As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. 6Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. 7For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. 8Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. 9And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 31:4‑9)). The next chapter (Isa. 32) goes on to describe the day of millennial blessing which will follow.
The prophet Zechariah gives the same outline with further details. The last three chapters unmistakably point forward to Israel’s future. After referring to Messiah’s rejection (Zech. 11:12, 1312And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. (Zechariah 11:12‑13)), we find introduced upon the scene him who will be His direct opposite; the idol shepherd is no doubt the Antichrist that we have been considering under the title of “the king.” “I will raise up a shepherd in the land,” this can be none other than the land of Palestine. But this false shepherd will not be like the Good Shepherd that layeth down His life for the sheep, for he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. The whole Church period, from Pentecost to the rapture, is thus passed over in silence, and we step from the nation’s rejection of the true Christ to their acceptance of the Antichrist, as was said by the Lord when here on earth, “I am come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43)). The idol shepherd of Zechariah 11 is the other one here spoken of.
This brings us down to the circumstances of the last days, and those especially of which Jerusalem will be the center. Many nations and peoples will be gathered together against it, and Jerusalem will be by them besieged. These are the nations in league with the king of the north, in other words, the north-eastern confederacy, not the Beast or Roman Empire of the West. But they will find Jerusalem and the affairs of Palestine and the Jews to be like a burdensome stone. It might seem an easy thing for vast and overwhelming numbers to sweep away the small and feeble people of Judea, but in that day shall Jehovah open His eyes upon His beloved people, and defend their cause against their enemies, “And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:66In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:6)).
But along with this we are shown the moral work that will take place in the heart and conscience of the people themselves. “I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced,” &c. There must be on their part a judgment of themselves in the sight of God, and a deep abhorrence of their sin in the rejection of their Messiah (vers. 9-14). Then, and not till then, will the fountain be opened for the practical cleansing of the nation. It is not a “fountain filled with blood,” but the washing of the water of the Word. The idols and false prophets will be cleansed out of the land.
Next we are again reminded of that which Messiah passed through, first at the hands of His own people, and then at the hands of Jehovah. He was wounded in the house of His friends, scourged, smitten, and spat upon; but at the cross it was Jehovah’s sword that was stretched out against the man that was His fellow. The immediate effect of the smiting of the Shepherd was the scattering of the sheep (Matt. 26:3131Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. (Matthew 26:31)), though it was at the same time that that mighty work was accomplished which secured their eternal blessing.
Here again we see how in the Old Testament the whole present period of the Church is passed over in silence; the mystery of the Church, the body of Christ had not been made known in those ages before Pentecost and the calling out of Paul to be the special vessel for communicating this unique and wondrous truth. We pass at one step from the scattering of the Jewish sheep which immediately followed upon the cross (vs. 7), to the judgment that will befall the nations “in all the land” in the last days just before they are recognized once more as Jehovah’s people, and their Messiah will come again, not this time in humiliation, but in power and majesty (vers. 8, 9).
It will be a time of unparalleled trouble. Two parts in all the land shall be cut off and die, and the third part shall be brought through the refining fire. The opening verses of chapter 14 bring together the two future sieges of Jerusalem. All the nations are seen gathered together against it to battle. These are again the nations in league with the king of the north. At first they are successful, for the city is taken, and half its inhabitants go forth into captivity. But after that, and evidently distinct therefrom, the Lord Himself goes forth to fight on behalf of His people against these nations, and all is changed. He is seen coming in person to the earth; His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives; it is the day of the Lord when He will come, not into the air for the Church, but to the earth for the deliverance of Israel and the judgment of their enemies.
All this throws a flood of light upon the close of Daniel 11. We have seen the king of the north entering into the glorious land and obtaining a measure of success. This no doubt will be the time of the first of these two future sieges of Jerusalem. But he will pass on into Egypt, possibly with a view to crippling the power of the king of the south, which he may think would stand in the way of the accomplishment of his designs upon Palestine and the Jews.
While in Egypt events of the most unexpected nature will be taking place in and around Jerusalem. “Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him.” Some may inquire what the tidings could possibly be that produce such a startling effect upon this hitherto victorious king. They may be twofold; firstly, the commencing movement amongst the ten long lost tribes to return to Palestine; secondly, the overthrow of the armies of the West, the beast and the kings of the earth who will be gathered against Jerusalem, to make war upon the Lamb, Who, between the two sieges we have been considering, will have come as Redeemer to Zion (Isa. 59:2020And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 59:20)).
The direction from whence come these startling tidings should be carefully noted, “out of the east and out of the north,” exactly where Palestine lies with reference to Egypt, where the king of the north will at that time be!
With great fury he returns to Palestine little thinking Who he will have to face. He plants the tabernacles of his palace between the seas, that is, between the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas, in the glorious holy mountain. Here the curtain drops upon all this military magnificence: “He shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”
There is nothing in the estimation of the world so glorious as a vast military display, but all this is destined to wither and melt away like Sennacherib’s great host, gleaming with purple and gold, which was in truth the type in Isaiah’s day of the very scenes here described by the prophet Daniel. How blessed is the portion of those whose kingdom is not of this world. An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away is theirs, when all the glitter and pomp of this poor world lies in the dust.